The invention relates to a roller bearing replacement device for replacement or exchange of a roller bearing of a roller hearth furnace comprising: a housing that is sealed off from the external atmosphere, which has a sluice that can be coupled on the roller hearth furnace through which access to a roller bearing that is to be demounted is possible from the inside of the housing while excluding the external atmosphere, and at least one roller bearing handling device that is arranged moveably in the housing and is designed so it can be moved out at least partly through the sluice.
Furthermore the invention relates to a process for replacement or exchange of roller bearings of a roller hearth furnace by means of a roller bearing replacement device, in which the roller bearing replacement device is moved laterally near the roller hearth furnace to the position of the roller bearing that is to be replaced, the roller bearing is decoupled from a drive unit and then the roller bearing replacement device is moved towards the roller hearth furnace to the roller bearing that is to be demounted, in which a sluice of the roller bearing replacement device is coupled in a gas-tight manner on the roller bearing furnace, and in which then the roller bearing that is to be demounted is moved by a roller bearing handling device that is arranged in a moveable manner in the housing.
A roller bearing replacement device of the type identified at the start is for example known from the patent DE 10 2011 079 771 A1, in which from this application a process for roller bearing replacement according to the type identified at the start is also to be taken. This known roller bearing replacement device is moveable laterally near the roller hearth furnace and has an enclosed carrier roller bearing handling device, i.e. a roller bearing handling device housed in a housing of the roller bearing replacement device. For roller bearing exchange or replacement, the roller bearing replacement device is moved alongside the longitudinal axis of the furnace and positioned at the appropriate exchange position. Then a sluice of the roller bearing replacement device is screwed on in a gas-tight manner to the roller bearing replacement device, so that a gas-tight insulation exists between the inside of the housing of the roller bearing replacement device and the environment. In case of a roller bearing replacement, a lance of the roller bearing handling device travels into the hollow roller bearing in order to lift the roller bearing that is to be replaced and to pull the roller bearing out of an opening that is designed and constructed in the wall of the roller hearth furnace, in which the roller bearing is placed in a rotatable manner while in operation. The roller bearing that is demounted is then deposited in a shelf or rack inside the housing according to this known state of the art. The patent DE 10 2011 079 771 A1 provides for several racks or shelves or similar, which offer place for the accommodation of a corresponding number of defective or demounted roller bearings.
The following is disadvantageous in this known state of the art: after the demounting of a roller bearing through the opening via the sluice of the housing, the furnace atmosphere with a temperature of 1000° C. for example penetrates into the inside of the housing and causes a significant increase in the temperature of the housing atmosphere i.e. the atmosphere within the roller bearing replacement device, which has a destructive effect on the electronic components installed inside and on the roller bearing replacement device. Moreover the hot roller bearing that has been demounted from the roller hearth furnace radiates heat powerfully, and this likewise increases the temperature inside the housing considerably.